Universal Orlando Resort Expansion (Part 1)

[Magic-Man]

My estimates:
Land acquisition and building rights: up to 500 million
Theme park 1: 3.0-3.5 billion
General: 500 mil
3-4 lands at 500 mil
2-3 lands at 300 mil
Backstage areas: 500 million
Roads & parking garages: 500 million
Citywalk South: 500 million
Hotels: 200-400 million each

This gives an initial cost upwards of 6 billion for stage one, and doesn't include the possibility of non-bus transportation to the new park.

Ehh, I think Nintendo and LOTR will both cost over 500 million. LOTR could end up costing around 800 million, while Nintendo could cost around 700 million.

 

[Magic-Man]

Interesting note on Screamscape....

"It's been awhile since we talked about what Universal may be planning for their next big theme park in Orlando, and this week Disney & More has posted their own story and findings that are worth a quick read. Bottom line however, whenever I try to do some digging myself into this subject matter, it seems like the contents of this future park and always in a state of flux, with various IPs included at one point, and then replaced the next by others... only to sometimes come back again. It's great that Universal has such a big vision to choose from to get the combination right, but this also says to me that the contents are still very much in flux, and it's hard to lock in any IPs for sure, unless they are owned by Universal themselves.
The DreamWorks Animation characters, for example, are not mentioned in this report, and I've always heard that we should expect them to be in this park one way or another. Either in their own DreamWorks land, or spread out into a few individual lands (Kung Fu Panda Land, How To Train Your Dragon Land, etc...)
There is also an interesting mention of dragging the entire Nintendo themed land or projects into this park, which I admit I've also heard was being talked about as well. Of course the first phase of Super Nintendo World could stuff go into the existing park as originally intended, and a second phase of attraction ideas could also end up in the new park as well. Like I said above... it's all a big shuffle until they are ready to lock it down and send out the bulldozers.
Of course, I also like to think that the constant shuffle of ideas is also intentional... as leaks on a project this big are sure to happen, and keeping an excessive number of wild and crazy ideas floating around is a sure way to make the competition a bit nervous themselves. After all, they wont know what they should be preparing to build to compete against it until the last second"

EDIT: Another interesting note, remember when this Super Mario and Donkey Kong NOT Headed to Universal Studios Florida - Supposedly - Theme Park University article blew up over on the Nintendo forum? If you read the article closely, you can notice how they say "SIX lands/franchises represented on opening day. Thoughts?

 

[Mad Dog]

Interesting note on Screamscape....

"It's been awhile since we talked about what Universal may be planning for their next big theme park in Orlando, and this week Disney & More has posted their own story and findings that are worth a quick read. Bottom line however, whenever I try to do some digging myself into this subject matter, it seems like the contents of this future park and always in a state of flux, with various IPs included at one point, and then replaced the next by others... only to sometimes come back again. It's great that Universal has such a big vision to choose from to get the combination right, but this also says to me that the contents are still very much in flux, and it's hard to lock in any IPs for sure, unless they are owned by Universal themselves.
The DreamWorks Animation characters, for example, are not mentioned in this report, and I've always heard that we should expect them to be in this park one way or another. Either in their own DreamWorks land, or spread out into a few individual lands (Kung Fu Panda Land, How To Train Your Dragon Land, etc...)
There is also an interesting mention of dragging the entire Nintendo themed land or projects into this park, which I admit I've also heard was being talked about as well. Of course the first phase of Super Nintendo World could stuff go into the existing park as originally intended, and a second phase of attraction ideas could also end up in the new park as well. Like I said above... it's all a big shuffle until they are ready to lock it down and send out the bulldozers.
Of course, I also like to think that the constant shuffle of ideas is also intentional... as leaks on a project this big are sure to happen, and keeping an excessive number of wild and crazy ideas floating around is a sure way to make the competition a bit nervous themselves. After all, they wont know what they should be preparing to build to compete against it until the last second"

EDIT: Another interesting note, remember when this Super Mario and Donkey Kong NOT Headed to Universal Studios Florida - Supposedly - Theme Park University article blew up over on the Nintendo forum? If you read the article closely, you can notice how they say "SIX lands/franchises represented on opening day. Thoughts?

Basically everyone in the know on IU has been saying that plans are in flux for over six months now.

 

[Magic-Man]

Basically everyone in the know on IU has been saying that plans are in flux for over six months now.

Not that note, exactly. I'm was looking more towards the fact that yet another person has heard that all of Nintendo could be going here, plus the note that says that all the shuffling and leaks could be intentional.

 

[Mad Dog]

Not that note, exactly. I'm was looking more towards the fact that yet another person has heard that all of Nintendo could be going here, plus the note that says that all the shuffling and leaks could be intentional.

I really think most of these other sites get their info from reading IU. Short of Martin (Marni) over at Magic, and he posts here also, there's really no true insiders with a track record on any of these other sites. Even Niles over at TPI, who used to get Universal scoops in the distant past, rarely posts anything Universal before it's official posting anymore. Although he generally still has decent Disney stuff.....All that stuff he's referring to is really old news around here.

 

[Magic-Man]

I really think most of these other sites get their info from reading IU. Short of Martin (Marni) over at Magic, and he posts here also, there's really no true insiders with a track record on any of these other sites. Even Niles over at TPI, who used to get Universal scoops in the distant past, rarely posts anything Universal before it's official posting anymore. Although he generally still has decent Disney stuff.

We do have pretty good insiders

Edit: What about TPU? They did leak the original Nintendo plans, after all. Plus, depending on how everything turns out, they might have been the first one to say the SNW wouldn't be going there, Pokemon would. I'm really curious as to what they mean by the whole "Six lands" deal.

 

[Mad Dog]

We do have pretty good insiders

There you go. You got it. We have the BEST. :thumbsup:

 

[Ridgepole]

The Toon Lagoon Theater.

Maybe this deserves its own thread. So the consensus appears to be it is utilized for HP event, 3 days? And for private event buyouts, which generally occur after regular park hours. So it's 1% utilized? I think maybe could show cartoons ie. Popeye, Dudly Boop etc. T L only has 2 water rides. I would say the space is seriously underutilized. JMO

 

[Viator]

Edit: What about TPU? They did leak the original Nintendo plans, after all. Plus, depending on how everything turns out, they might have been the first one to say the SNW wouldn't be going there, Pokemon would. I'm really curious as to what they mean by the whole "Six lands" deal.

I would say TPU is hit or miss, and at times should be more...determining on what they choose to say.

 

[Mad Dog]

Maybe this deserves its own thread. So the consensus appears to be it is utilized for HP event, 3 days? And for private event buyouts, which generally occur after regular park hours. So it's 1% utilized? I think maybe could show cartoons ie. Popeye, Dudly Boop etc. T L only has 2 water rides. I would say the space is seriously underutilized. JMO

A couple of years ago, when there was a rumor going around for an Avengers coaster, speculation was the area of Toon Theater plus some adjacent areas.

 

[GadgetGuru]

I would say TPU is hit or miss, and at times should be more...determining on what they choose to say.

There’s a lot of insiders (Jim Hill cough) that also seem to say everything they hear.

I personally find it refreshing. I like hearing about the behind-the-scenes things. But, I’m expecting that everything an insider says is still in flux. Just because they get something “wrong” doesn’t mean it wasn’t right at some point.

That’s something that kind of bugs me about theme park fans. We expect everything an insider says to be written in stone and completely finalized.

Nothing’s finalized until opening day.

 

[Scott W.]

It was used in the Impractical Jokers Universal episode's punishment.

 

[Alicia]

It was used in the Impractical Jokers Universal episode's punishment.

I've speculated that Toon Lagoon Theater and bottom half of Toon Lagoon goes to Pokemon. Two water rides remain Toon Lagoon, (since that's the only decent part of the land anyway.) Stage is demolished, plus exterior Spider-Man queue, for new E-Ticket ride. Shops and quick service rethemed to Pokemon city.

Just what I would do anyway.

 

[Magic-Man]

I've speculated that Toon Lagoon Theater and bottom half of Toon Lagoon goes to Pokemon. Two water rides remain Toon Lagoon, (since that's the only decent part of the land anyway.) Stage is demolished, plus exterior Spider-Man queue, for new E-Ticket ride. Shops and quick service rethemed to Pokemon city.

Just what I would do anyway.

Out of curiousity, where would you put the other two major IP's? (Zelda and Mario)

 

[Alicia]

Out of curiousity, where would you put the other two major IP's? (Zelda and Mario)

Mario in KidsZone, cause I can't shake the plans that already exist from my brain. And Zelda in 4th gate, since there will be a good focus on "Kingdoms" based lands there.

 

[Magic-Man]

Mario in KidsZone, cause I can't shake the plans that already exist from my brain. And Zelda in 4th gate, since there will be a good focus on "Kingdoms" based lands there.

Couldn't Zelda be too close to LOTR in terms of theming? Maybe that's why it was rumored to have been taken out of there.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

We do have pretty good insiders

Edit: What about TPU? They did leak the original Nintendo plans, after all. Plus, depending on how everything turns out, they might have been the first one to say the SNW wouldn't be going there, Pokemon would. I'm really curious as to what they mean by the whole "Six lands" deal.

TPU never leaked the original Nintendo plans.

 

[Magic-Man]

TPU never leaked the original Nintendo plans.

I could have sworn they did. You know, the layout that included all of Nintendo.

 

[Alicia]

I could have sworn they did. You know, the layout that included all of Nintendo.

Was from user thatsjustgary on Twitter.

 

[Magic-Man]

Was from user thatsjustgary on Twitter.

My bad :thud:

Carry on.